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*SEE USDA 1988 DATASET NAMES FOR DSN.
RECORD LAYOUT
Data File Format
DATA FILE FORMAT FOR USE WITH STANDARD REFERENCE
(DECIMAL POINTS NOT INCLUDED)
COLUMN FIELD NO. OF DESCRIPTION OF FIELD
SIZE DEC. PLACES
1-5 5 0 IDENTIFICATION OF FOOD
6-8 3 0 NUTRIENT NUMBER
9-16 8 3 MEAN (AMOUNT IN 100 GRAMS, EDIBLE
PORTION)
17-24 8 4 STANDARD ERROR (AMOUNT IN 100 GRA
EDIBLE PORTION)
25-30 6 0 NUMBER OF OBSERVATIONS
31-39 9 3 COLUMN E VALUE
40-48 9 3 COLUMN F VALUE
49-57 9 3 AMOUNT IN 1 POUND, AS
PURCHASED
Notes
THE RECORD CONTAINING THE NUTRIENT NUMBER 000 CONTAINS A 20 CHARACTER
DESCRIPTION OF THE ITEM. THIS DESCRIPTION IS FOUND IN COLUMNS 9-28.
THE LAST RECORD FOR A FOOD HAS A NUTRIENT NUMBER 999.
THE NUTRIENT NUMBERS ARE ARRANGED IN ASCENDING ORDER FOR EACH FOOD
ITEM IN THE FILE. MISSING NUTRIENT NUMBERS INDICATE DATA WERE
NOT AVAILABLE.
STANDARD ERROR AND NUMBER OF OBSERVATIONS ARE NOT AVAILABLE FOR
FOOD ITEMS HAVING IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS BEGINNING WITH 7, 8, OR
9. FOR THOSE FOOD ITEMS, STANDARD ERROR AND NUMBER OF OBSERVATION
FIELDS CONTAIN ZEROES.
SEVERAL RECORDS CONTAIN A NEGATIVE VALUE IN THE STANDARD ERROR FIELD
WHICH IS A CODED MESSAGE TO THE USER. WHEN THAT VALUE IS -1, A
STANDARD ERROR COULD NOT BE CALCULATED. WHEN THAT VALUE IS -4, THE
VALUE IN THE "MEAN" COLUMN HAS BEEN IMPUTED TO REPLACE A BLANK SPACE
IN THE HANDBOOK; AND WHEN -5 APPEARS, THE "MEAN" COLUMN CONTAINS THE
VALUE UPON WHICH THE NUTRIENT LABEL CLAIM IS BASED.
A FEW FOOD ITEMS APPEAR IN THE DATA SET TWICE WITH DIFFERENT
IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS. FOR EXAMPLE, BUTTER APPEARS WITH ITEM NUMBER
01001 AND 04136. THIS IS BECAUSE BUTTER IS INCLUDED IN AGRICULTURE
HANDBOOK NO. 8 SECTIONS FOR BOTH DAIRY PRODUCTS (01) AND FATS AND
OILS (04). THE NUTRIENT VALUE FOR 100 GRAMS ARE THE SAME; HOWEVER
SLIGHT DIFFERENCE MAY OCCUR IN SOME VALUES DUE TO ROUNDING DIFFERENCES.
HOUSEEHOLD MEASURES USED TO CALCULATE VALUES IN COLUMNS E AND F MAY
NOT BE IDENTICAL FOR THE DIFFERENT IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS.
USERS SHOULD CONSULT THE INTRODUCTORY REMARKS IN THE REVISED SECTIONS
OF AGRICULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 8 FOR ADDITIONAL EXPLANATIONS ABOUT THE
DATA.
Field Definitions and Codes: Standard Reference File
COLUMN
NUMBER
ON TAPE
1-5 IDENTIFICATION OF FOOD
---------------------
FOR EACH FOOD ITEM THERE IS AN IDENTIFYING NUMBER.
FOR UPDATE TO HANDBOOK NO. 8
---------------------------
COLUMNS 1 - 2: PORTION OF ITEM NUMBER PRECEDING THE
HYPHEN ON THE TOP OF THE PAGE IN REVISIONS OF AGRICULTURE
HANDBOOK NO. 8; 01 FOR SET 8-1 AND 02 FOR SET 8-2, ETC.
COLUMNS 3 - 5: PORTION OF THE ITEM NUMBER FOLLOWING THE
HYPHEN.
FOR SECTIONS 3 AND ABOVE, THE IDENTIFYING NUMBER
REPRESENTS THE NDB NUMBER WHICH APPEARS IN THE LOWER RIGHT
CORNER OF EACH PAGE.
FOR DATA FROM DATA SET 456-3
---------------------------
COLUMNS 1 - 4: THE FIRST FOUR DIGITS OF THE FOOD CODE
WITH SEVEN (7) ADDED TO THE FIRST DIGIT.
COLUMN 5: THE FOOD CODE SUFFIX.
6-8 NUTRIENT NUMBER
--------------
SEE THE LIST OF NUTRIENT NUMBERS ATTACHED.
31-57 AMOUNT IN EDIBLE PORTION OF COMMON MEASURES OF FOOD
--------------------------------------------------
COLUMNS 31 - 39: VALUE IN COLUMN E OF REVISIONS OF
AGRICULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 8.
COLUMNS 40 - 48: VALUE IN COLUMN F OF REVISION OF
AGRICULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 8.
COLUMNS 49 - 57: VALUE IN COLUMN G OF REVISION OF
AGRICULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 8.

Header Records Fields
THIS FILE IS IN FREE FORMAT, WITH THE FIELDS SEPARATED BY COMMAS.
IT CONSISTS OF TWO RECORD TYPES. THE FIRST RECORD FOR A FOOD
(HEADER RECORD) CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING FIELDS:
FIELD
NUMBER DESCRIPTION OF FIELD
1 FOOD ITEM NUMBER
2 SHORT DESCRIPTION
3 COUNT OF NUTRIENT RECORDS
4 GRAM WEIGHT OF THE EDIBLE PART OF A FIRST
HOUSEHOLD MEASURE USED FOR THIS FOOD
5 GRAM WEIGHT OF THE EDIBLE PART FOR A SECOND
HOUSEHOLD MEASURE
6 PERCENT REFUSE

Nutrient Records Fields
THE REMAINING RECORDS FOR A FOOD (NUTRIENT RECORDS) CONTAIN:
FIELD
NUMBER DESCRIPTION OF FIELD
1 NUTRIENT IDENTIFICATION NUMBER
2 MEAN VALUE PER 100 GRAMS EDIBLE PART
3 STANDARD ERROR
4 NUMBER OF OBSERVATIONS